Month: August 2009

I am a huge cookbook fan. I also love food telly. This cookbook is fabulous! Loads of recipes with just a few ingredients, which you have to love, and easy to make directions. She takes a lot of classic ideas and spins them just a little to keep some interest. I get that. It is so easy to get into food ruts especially during busy weekdays but it really isn’t hard to branch out a little when you have some help. That is one of the main reasons I am such a cookbook junkie. I look at hundreds of recipes for ideas and then mix it up even more. I then look at what’s on sale too but that’s another story.

Charming mystery set in England around the 1940s. Very descriptive tale from the eyes of an 11 year old girl, Flavia. She is enveloped in her chemistry laboratory set-up in her home and yearns for adventure especially away from her narcissistic older and bookworm middle sisters. The way little Flavia describes her detective work is enchanting. Even though she is still a juvenile, her view of the world is a little jaded and at times humourous. I did enjoy this book but find that others really loved it. I am partial to mysteries that have a lot of character development which Bradley has certainly done. As far as the mystery is concerned I did not think it was as enthralling as others, but that’s just me. I have to say the idea of a mystery landing on my doorstep when I was a kid would have been the ultimate. We used to imagine all sorts of wrongdoing in our neighbourhood and I can only guess how it would have felt if something real had happened – and a murder to boot! The author does a really good job communicating her feelings throughout this tale and that is half the fun.

A light, easy read about two girls who grew up together, become estranged and are brought back together again. The reason for the reunion is the main story of the book so I won’t spoil it. It does accentuate how cruel kids can be and how they hide shame and sadness with bravado and mean comments, often to increase their own popularity and what we would now term self-esteem. The characters are not particularly likeable so it is a little hard to get into and the very ‘Pollyanna-ish’ ending is quite ridiculous. But here I am unpublished and this is not Jennifer’s first time at the rodeo as it were. Kudos to her. If you want a beach-type fluffy read this is it.

This is an enjoyable story of 11 girls, friends from childhood, who grew up in Ames, Iowa. The author spotlights each girl so you really get to know their personalities and who they are the closest to within the group. This is a super quick read but is written intelligently. There were a couple of times I disagreed with the actions or ideals of some of the girls but then realized this is biographical – in other words, I got over it. This is good because in essence I really got into their lives whilst reading. The old adage applies here – I laughed, I cried; but that’s how life is and the point is their friendships have survived many different ordeals. The old Midwestern values come through pretty strongly too. You truly feel as if you know these girls and at times are there sitting in the circle with them at one of their reunions. On a personal note I have to say that my friendships with other women are such a blessing to me but none of them are from childhood and I felt a little envious of these ladies. The author points out how much we really need each other, in the good and bad and these ladies are a great example to us all of enduring love.

People are all over the place with regard to this movie. I liked it. Nicholas Cage plays pretty much the same character as he always plays, but we love him in our house. (One of my daughter’s favourite movies is Moonstruck.) The movie opens with a scene 50 years previously where a school is creating a time capsule. Each kid draws a picture for the capsule which, when opened in the present day, are distributed to the current pupils. Case’s son receives a note with rows of numbers. Cage figures out, through a set of circumstances, that the numbers correspond with dates of disasters and there are still a few left that haven’t happened yet. What a burden, you think – us too. A little cheesy with the concept of ‘there’s no such thing as coincidence’ screaming at you throughout. No extraordinary performances, but a fun family flick with plenty to talk about afterwards.